PAS will never lead Malaysia even if Pakatan captures Putrajaya, says Dr Mahathir

At the 59th PAS muktamar recently, its vice-president, Datuk Husam Musa, expressed hope that its party president will be named prime minister should Pakatan Rakyat wrest Putrajaya. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 1, 2013.Islamist opposition party PAS will never lead Malaysia and even if Pakatan Rakyat captures Putrajaya it will be a junior partner and a DAP puppet, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says.

“There has never been a possibility that PAS would lead the Federal Government,” he said in a column published in Umno mouthpiece “Utusan Malaysia” today.

The country’s longest serving prime minister said based on PAS’s performance in previous general elections, it was “obvious that PAS would not head the  Government even though it partnered with DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat”.

PAS, according to Dr Mahathir, had never had any big wins in general elections and he defended ruling party, Umno, by stating that “Umno’s right to head the Government has never been disputed”.

“PAS can only be a junior partner if Pakatan ever forms the government and only as DAP’s puppet,” he added.

Dr Mahathir drew on the party’s experience helming the Perak government for a short while after the 2008 general election.

“We saw what happened when PAS headed the Perak government,” he said, referring to the coalition helmed by PAS’s Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, but which was widely seen as a puppet to DAP.

Dr Mahathir’s comments comes following PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa’s statement last week that he wanted to see party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang become prime minister.

In response to that, political analysts had outlined the various hurdles PAS would have to overcome in order for the Islamist party to snag the post if Pakatan Rakyat wins the next general election.

"PKR and DAP also have Muslim leaders," Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan said.

Dr Mahathir’s stinging column today alleged that prior to the formation of PAS, Malays were united.

“The formation of PAS was only successful in dividing the Malays and Muslims until they became weak in a country where they are the majority,” he said.

He went on to say that although PAS broke the unity among Malays in 1959 when it brought up the issue of religion, since then it had not been able to show it could replace Umno as the party that represents the Malays.

“Where would PAS head to next? Would PAS defeat Umno with the help of DAP? Would DAP help PAS so that it becomes huge in Pakatan and form an Islamist government?” asked Dr  Mahathir.

“It is only those who are obsessed with PAS who will dream that the party would lead an Islamist government ruling Malaysia.”

“The rest know that PAS is only a thorn in the flesh for the Malays, the kind that would form pus, decay and end the history of Malaysia as a Malay land.”